mimic panel

[lil chris]

Hi everyone, can anyone advise where I can buy plastic or alloy sheet to make a proper mimic panel. I have made a temp one out of plywood covered with a laminated sheet but would like to make something better. I have seen this alloy sheet but maybe someone knows of something better and possibly cheaper.

https://airbrushes.com/product_info.php?cPath=14&products_id=3246&osCsid=6471b934a9f137c3a094b922ed7764a2

[Trev]

Any local sign writing company should be able to let you have what you want

[lil chris]

Thanks trev didn't think of that.

[Caz]

I used clear perspex for mine with a sheet of paper behind on which I printed my panel using a old graphics program (Paint Shop Pro 5).

[lil chris]

thanks caz, thats what I want although I would settle for a peice of white perspex.

[Malc]

I bought a sheet of white plastic from a dealer at TINGS one year. I can't remember the dealer, but he sold all sorts of plastic rods, extrusions, sheets etc. I may still have the receipt, I'll look.

[lil chris]

Thanks malc,if you find it let me know otherwise I will try to find someone local who makes signs.

[Malc]

I think it was http://www.shgmodels.com and it wasn't TINGS, it was the Model Boat Show.

[lil chris]

Thanks Malc much appreciated, might be a few things of use as well so added bonus.

[geoffc]

I bought mine from Trent Plastics, you will find them on the web, they will cut to size and there is a choice of colours and thickness.

Geoffc

[RST]

If it's small panel like the plate you first showed then would ordinary 2mm polystyrene sheet from the model shop do?  Neat way of doing lining on it is to use the thin coloured lining trim tape from the motor factors.

[Newportnobby]

  Neat way of doing lining on it is to use the thin coloured lining trim tape from the motor factors.

I bought a 25m roll of 6mm fine line masking tape from Halfords. When I've done the schematic with the tape it will be covered with 2mm Perspex I bought on the cheap from the local builders merchants.

[lil chris]

Thanks everyone, I am going out tommorrow and see what I can get,I need a piece 18"x9" if possible. I made my present panel with tape from halfords stuck onto A4 paper and then laminated and stuck onto thin ply. Clear plastic or opaque white would suit me best and then the tape or paint the lines underneath. The only part I dont fancy is trying to get the led's of the present panel,they are soldered to the switches,it might mean unsoldering them.

[geoffc]

This is what I did on my mimic panel to avoid soldering to leds. I bought some 5mm dia bi coloured leds with a leg spacing of 2.54mm, I then purchased some servo extension leads for model aircraft, these have a flat 3 pin plug one end and a socket the other. These sockets will push fit onto the leds, I then cut the plugs off and soldered the resistors to the wires using solder shrink and a hot air gun. The beauty of this system is that the cable can be unplugged from the led to change the led. I bought a 12v domestic led driver to power the leds which was less than a fiver. Hope this helps someone

[lil chris]

sounds pretty good that idea geoffc, My switches and led's are dcc concepts,the resistors are on the switch,there are three holes for the bi-colour led's to solder to on the mini pcb on the switch.I suppose I could have soldered wire to these and then too the led's. Its just that I used a red and a seperate green on some switches on my slips so it shows which way is lit, those are the ones I dont fancy un soldering.

And today I managed to buy a couple of off cuts cheap at £2 from a sign maker. White plastic, not opaque but better than ply to use.